Police chief hopeful of solving Berkeley murder case

Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan said he is “very hopeful” about solving the homicide case of Adolfo Ignacio Celedón, 35, who was killed on Adeline Street near Emerson on Sunday, Sept. 12, while walking home from a party with his fiancée, Amber Nelson.

Speaking at a community meeting on Wednesday night at the Black Repertory Group Theater on Adeline, Meehan said the Berkeley Police Department is continuing to receive leads from the public on the case and was collaborating with other police departments. “This is an active investigation, so there is a limit to what I can say, but I am very hopeful,” he told an audience of neighbors, community leaders and friends of Celedón, who was known as Fito, and Nelson.

Meehan added that Celedón’s family had been “incredible” — particularly given the grief they were suffering — and were being “very supportive” in helping the police with their work.

In the early hours of Sept. 12, two men jumped out of their car and approached Celedón and Nelson as they walked home on Adeline from a party at Ashkenaz. They pointed a gun at Nelson, 27, who is studying for a master’s degree in architecture at UC Berkeley. Celedón came to Nelson’s defense and was shot numerous times. The two assailants punched Nelson in the face and then fled in an SUV. The crime was Berkeley’s fourth homicide this year.

The Berkeley Police Department asks anyone who may know about the murder to call the Homicide Detail at 510-981-5741 or the 24-hour non-emergency line of 510-981-5900. Anonymous calls can be made to Bay Area Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. A total of $17,000 is being offered as a reward for information leading to arrests in the case.